As the College continues to drive its use of AI within the curriculum, this project uniquely gives our Lower Sixth French A-level students the opportunity to become involved right at the heart of the app development. Not only are students able to provide their feedback as they test the app, they reap the benefit of improving their language skills using cutting-edge AI technology.
“Coming back to Epsom to develop Sylvi has been a lot of fun,” said the App’s developer, Tom Standen. “Mr Baker and his class are full of ideas; with their help I’m confident we can build a bespoke tool that has a real impact on modern languages at Epsom. I can’t wait to return and see their progress in the new year.”
From Consultancy to Innovation
After a few years spent at global consultancy firms IBM and McKinsey, Tom took a bold step into the world of app development – a journey sparked by a surprisingly relatable struggle. It all started when Tom’s partner, Amy, visited France. Despite proudly maintaining a 600-day streak on competitor language app, Duolingo, she found herself struggling with real-life conversations in French. This gap between digital practise and real-world fluency got Tom thinking. Using his background in physics, programming, and AI, he developed Sylvi, a unique and immersive language app. The name Sylvi even holds special meaning: it was the French name Amy was given by her teacher in class as a child.
What Makes Sylvi Stand Out?
Unlike conventional language apps, Sylvi emphasises true immersion and interaction. Users can practise French, German, Spanish, Italian, or Portuguese by engaging with AI-powered pen pals. Whether you prefer someone friendly, quirky, or even a little flirty, Sylvi provides an engaging partner to practise everyday conversation with.
But that’s not all. Sylvi offers guided lessons with its namesake AI character, Sylvi. Learners can choose their lesson content, from beginner to advanced topics, making it a versatile tool for various skill levels. For those who would like more than AI interaction, Sylvi offers a social chat feature where users can converse with real people – while enjoying seamless translations. Imagine chatting with a pen pal who writes in Spanish while you reply in French – the app makes it possible through intelligent translation.
Real-World Context and Fun Features
To hone reading skills, Sylvi includes a news section, where users can explore and translate headlines and articles on everything from global news to celebrity gossip. Plus, just like its competitors, Sylvi keeps users motivated with ‘streaks’ and points depending on the language (eg. croissants, paellas, pizza etc) – the app’s own rewards system. Collect enough, and you might just see your name climb the leaderboard.
How AI in Education is Transforming the Classroom
The trial is being overseen by Head of French, Luke Baker. As Luke says, “Sylvi is just one example of how AI is transforming education at Epsom College. AI tools can offer invaluable support to pupils and teachers. For pupils, AI can be a fabulous support tool, for example when preparing for a piece of writing, a useful prompt could be: ‘Provide 50 nouns, 20 adjectives and 20 infinitives I could use in my essay on a past holiday’. Note the difference between this and ‘write an essay on a past holiday for me’. The former prompt is asking AI to supply the paint and paintbrushes (saving the pupil a menial task); the latter is asking it to do the painting for them (lazy and self-defeating).”
Luke explains that AI can be equally transformative for teachers, particularly owing to the way it enables them to generate semi-original content; learning a language being, after all, only as interesting as the content to which one is exposed. “At A-level it is possible to use truly authentic materials but the standard material for beginners is all too often trite and uninspiring. AI holds the key to unshackling teachers and learners from these constraints.”
Epsom Students at the Heart of Development
Currently, Epsom’s Lower Sixth French A-level students are trialling Sylvi in their lessons, offering real-time feedback that Tom and his team are using to refine the app. Luke is collaborating closely with Tom to introduce features tailored to the students’ exam needs. “We’re thrilled to have Tom back at Epsom, bringing innovation to language learning. This hands-on approach is giving our students a unique chance to shape a product that could benefit learners worldwide,” said Luke. The Lent Term will see Year 11 pupils joining the trial, marking another exciting step forward.
With a mix of cutting-edge technology, creative interaction, and personalised feedback, Sylvi is shaping up to be a game-changer in language education – and Epsom’s students are leading the charge. We will keep you updated as the project progresses.
To try Sylvi yourself, download the Sylvi app from your iPhone App Store or Google Play.
